The Queen Of Beasts
by ThaliaGrace318
Summary: All men are beasts, but not all Beasts are men. The phrase 'I am woman, hear me roar' takes on whole new meaning when you're a She-Beast. (Flashbacks in Beauty and the Beast 1x07 'Out of Control' show some of Vincent's time in Afghanistan, including a female soldier that he calls Lafferty who starts to show the side effects of the experiments and is taken away. This is her story)
1. Chapter 1

**The Queen of Beasts**

 **Author's note:**

 **The flashbacks in Beauty and the Beast 1x07 'Out of Control' show some of Vincent's time in Afghanistan, including him interacting with a female soldier that he calls Lafferty who starts to show the side effects of the experiments and is taken away.**

 **This is her story.**

 **XX**

 **Please comment and review. Reviews inspire updates ;)**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Hello?"

Hearing that voice always set me on edge, dredging up memories that I did not want to revisit. A lot of what happened back then is hazy at best, but one thing was always clear: Vanessa Chandler – she was there at the beginning.

"We need to meet," I said into the burner phone I was using to make this call.

There was a pause. I could hear Vanessa swallow nervously. I could also hear the background noise of her home as well: a fan whirling, a dog barking, a car passing outside… I tried to filter out the noise.

"I need to pick up my daughter. I'll come to you after." There was a waver in Vanessa's voice as she answered. She was wary of meeting with me, afraid. She was very right to be afraid.

"Don't bother. I'll come to you."

I cut off the call without asking where she was going – my way of letting her know that I could find her. I blew out a harsh breath and felt the change in my eyes, the amber glow that betrayed the feelings I was keeping tightly under wraps. Keeping my anger under control around Vanessa Chandler always tested me. But, seeing as I hadn't ripped her to shreds yet any other time that we'd met, it was a test I usually passed.

That control was hard fought and hard won, a constant daily struggle; though it was not without its benefits.

I looked down at the fifty story drop beneath me. Perched on the thin ledge of the building like this, it would only take one strong gust to blow me over the edge, but my body automatically compensated for the changes in the wind that flew between the skyscrapers without me even being consciously aware of it. Perfect balance, coordination and reflexes...

Just some of the fringe benefits of my new…condition.

I used to hate heights. Now I embraced them. To an ordinary human, the people moving around down below would be just vague specks, indistinguishable in the dark. But not to me. I saw them. All of them. I let the sounds of the city wash over me. I could hear the howl of police sirens as they sped along their way…the thrum of a helicopter a few miles east… On the street below me, the woman complaining in a whining voice about her boyfriend being late picking her up…the homeless man begging for spare change… If I concentrated, I could pick out each voice. Another gust of wind washed over me and I could feel the moisture in the air; rain moving in over the river, along with the acrid taste of smog coming from traffic on the bridge.

A year ago, I wouldn't have thought it was possible for someone to experience the world the way I now did. All that I saw, all that I heard, all that I could sense…It was incredible. And it all served to remind me of what had been done to me. Of what Vanessa Chandler had done to me.

Thinking back on it, a low growl escaped me. I looked at my hand to see that my claws had gouged marks into the solid stone gargoyle next to me. I needed to get control of myself. I took a deep breath and blew it out, reaching for that center of focus that I'd manage to cultivate.

I felt my claws retract. The glow faded from my eyes.

I needed to get going. Hopefully I would burn off some of this adrenaline by the time I caught up with Vanessa. As much as I may want to kill Dr. Chandler, I still needed her. My bloodlust aside, she was more useful to me alive. For now anyway.

I stepped off the ledge.

* * *

I tracked Dr. Chandler to a road leading just to the edge of town, to the bar where her daughter worked. I was close enough to hear the gunshots, a sound that instantly had the adrenaline spiking in my blood, heightening my senses and bringing my inner monster very close to the surface. The scent of blood and gun powder flooded the still night air, teasing at my primal instinct, the drive to tear through flesh, to spill more blood. I reined it in. This was no time to go off half-wild. I needed to think clearly – not the easiest task for a super soldier on an adrenaline high, but I was still in control for now.

More shots. A girl screamed, and I heard the heavy footfalls of the men crashing through the forest as they chased after her. I approached cautiously, wanting to be sure that I wasn't walking into an ambush. I sensed only the two men who'd gone chasing after the girl; there was no one else around.

The parking lot behind the bar was silent now, apart from the buzz of the street light flickering overhead. And of course the ragged gasps of the woman bleeding out on the pavement. I walked towards her, shedding the cover of the shadows. I wasn't in danger; Vanessa was their target, not me. If they'd been after me, they would have sent a lot more than two men. I stepped into Vanessa's line of sight and her eyes widened as I crouched down in front of her. My eyes held no pity; she wouldn't have expected them to. Vanessa tried to speak and coughed up blood. She tried again and managed to gasp one word: "…C-Catherine…"

Her daughter's name; she was the girl that those men had chased into the woods. On death's door and her only thought was for her child. I could understand that sentiment.

"She's safe," I said, and her rigid body relaxed slightly like something in her had let go. I'd heard no more gunshots, so I was fairly certain that I wasn't lying. I didn't bother to listen though, to cast my senses out to know for sure. The girl wasn't my concern.

Vanessa Chandler's heartbeat stuttered and came to its final end. The flickering streetlight glinted off a gold pendant around her neck. It was in the shape of a chimera, the mythical creature made from parts of different animals. I've never seen her without it. I'd asked her about that pendant once before, back before everything went to hell. She'd told me that the chimera reminded her to respect the power of nature and the mysteries that it held.

I pulled the pendant from her body.

Vanessa Chandler had never respected the power of nature; she'd wielded it like a child who'd found her father's gun. She'd spent decades trying to play God, and now she'd finally gotten burned for it…like so many others had burned.

Before the first sirens even came close to the bar, I was already gone. When the first cop car pulled up, Vanessa Chandler was alone in the empty parking lot, dead in a pool of her own blood.

* * *

The location of the safe house I was currently using was remote enough for privacy; woods surrounded the house on three sides and the closest neighbours were a few miles way. Braden didn't look up from her work as I stalked inside; she would have seen me coming on the security cameras we had set up all around the grounds. "Weren't you supposed to be bringing someone back with you?"

My growl silenced her as I walked past her to the small kitchen. Though she knew I wouldn't actually hurt her (not intentionally anyway) she cringed from the sound and the instinctive fear it invoked. I might have felt sorry for scaring her if my mind wasn't so filled with other worries.

All of my current worries centered around one thing…

Braden was watching the news report of Dr. Chandler's death when I stepped back into the living room with drinks from the fridge. I tossed one to her.

"Are we celebrating or mourning?" she asked. She knew my mixed feelings about the doctor.

"Take your pick," I said as I joined her on the couch.

 _"…The victim was shot three times at point black range by the suspected carjackers and was killed instantly…"_

 _Almost instantly_ , I silently corrected the reporter. Vanessa Chandler, the woman who'd destroyed my life was dead and this fact left me feeling an uncomfortable mix of both elation and dread. I suppressed both; high emotions for me were…unsafe.

 _"…the perpetrators then pursued the victim's teenage daughter who tried to flee on foot…"_

"Is there any chance it wasn't… _them_?" Braden asked hesitantly. "I mean…could it have been just a carjacking like they say?"

I didn't bother to answer; and my silence was answer enough. I glanced down at the chimera pendant in my hand; with someone like Dr. Chandler, nothing was ever just chance or coincidence. I was caught up in my thoughts, not bothering to listen to news that I already knew, until something caught my attention and made me sit up and lean forward towards the screen.

 _"…the traumatized young woman claimed that she was saved by a 'beast' that killed her assailants…"_

"Beast, huh?" Braden gave a hard chuckle. "I guess that's a pretty good word for it. Fits better than super-soldier."

I certainly wasn't a soldier anymore; I was probably the farthest thing from it. I nodded distractedly while I waited to hear what more would be said. But the news report just went on to say that the girl, Catherine, was probably suffering from post-traumatic stress from having witnessed her mother's murder.

"That girl saw you," Braden said speculatively. "I'm surprised you let her live."

It wasn't callousness that made her voice such a thought; it was prudence, and self-preservation. Before today, those who would hunt me, who would hunt us both, believed I was dead. And I'd left no trace behind to disprove that; certainly not two dead men who looked like they'd been mauled to death. The report was now speculating as to what kind of animal in those woods could have been responsible for the deaths.

"It wasn't me."

Braden looked uncertainly from me to the television screen, as if it would have the answers, and then back to me again. "Then…who the hell was it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Braden asked skeptically. It was unlike me to be caught unaware. But my awareness had been focused on Vanessa. And on not losing control.

"I had other things on my mind."

"Is there any chance it was just an animal?" Braden asked without conviction.

"About as much chance that those hitmen weren't from Muirfield."

There were no coincidences. Someone else like me was out there. Again, I felt that unpleasant mix of elation and dread. Elation because, whether that was good or bad, it was in some way nice to know that I wasn't the only one out there; Dread because whoever it was had just left an abundance of proof to the people who knew what to look for that we were out there.

That was a problem. And not just for me.

* * *

Soft nightlights cast a glow around the room, though I would have been able to see just fine without it. They were there for the comfort of the child sleeping in her bed; a baby girl just a few months old – my daughter, Bria.

Since her birth, it seemed like a sixth sense had developed geared entirely toward my awareness of her. I knew instinctively that if she and I were separated that I would be able to track her across a city, a state, a continent if I had to. When I was away from her, I felt her absence like a missing limb. She was inextricably a part of me, which is why I understood beyond my hate for the doctor why Vanessa Chandler's dying breath had been of concern for nothing but her daughter.

As I stood over her staring down at her beautiful peaceful little face, Bria opened her eyes and stared back. She didn't cry out, and I wondered if she was somehow able to sense me as well. Had what I am, what had been put into my blood, been passed down to her? I didn't know. Maybe she was perfectly wonderfully ordinary. Or maybe it was just too early to tell. In some way, it hardly mattered. She was mine, and by that alone if she was ever discovered she would be hunted.

Bria kicked her legs, yawned and closed her eyes again, slipping back into sleep. That her sleep would always be so peaceful… But I was not the idealistic type.

More than what had been done to me and my friends, the fate that had been dealt to my baby before she was even born was the reason why I would have wanted to kill Vanessa Chandler myself. If I thought that sending Bria away, placing her with a normal family where she would be cared for would keep her safe, I would do it. I would endure the phantom pain of being cut off from her to give her a chance at a real life, one without the fear and uncertainty that I had no choice but to live with. But I couldn't do that, because Bria's life and future were even more uncertain than my own.

Vanessa Chandler had the deepest understanding of what had been done to me – done by her hand. She was the only doctor who could have examined my daughter, who could have told me exactly how much of _me_ Bria had in her and what that might mean. It was ironic that now that I needed her, she was dead. I had no way of knowing what my daughter might be, what she might become. But if she was like me – if the genetic changes that had been done to me had been passed on to her and would manifest later – then I couldn't leave her alone and unaware to face that, and the danger that would come with it. So I would keep her close. They say that there's nothing more dangerous than a wild animal protecting their young; How 'bout a beast, a she-beast, protecting her baby?

Again I thought of Vanessa Chandler, and how this all started. I suppose it was fitting that I was there at her end. After all, Vanessa Chandler was there at my beginning…

* * *

 **My name is Camren Leticia Lafferty, Specialist United States Army. My friends call me Letty. Or at least they would…if any of them were still alive.**

 **After I enlisted in the army, I was tapped to join a special program geared towards making faster, stronger and better soldiers. They called it Project Muirfield. Their goal was to make the perfect super-soldiers. They told us that they were giving us vitamins and antibiotic steroids that would strengthen our muscles and heighten our senses and reflexes.**

 **They lied.**

 **What they were really doing was modifying our DNA, changing us, mutating us. Needless to say it didn't work out the way they planned. Something went wrong. I was one of the first to start showing the side-effects. I don't remember much, just that I was taken back to one of their facilities, supposedly for observation.**

 **As for the rest of the soldiers in my unit – my friends, my brothers and sisters – there were no survivors after everything went to Hell…As far as I knew.**

 **But let's go back to the beginning and you can see for yourself…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoy the new chapter. This shows just a little bit of Letty's life before she joined the army. Please comment and review. Reviews encourage updates :)**

 **And Happy New Year to all.**

* * *

Chapter 2 - How It Began

WARNING: This is not a fairy tale.

Once Upon A Time… There was a girl who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. She didn't dream of being a Princess and finding her Prince Charming like a lot of little girls did. No, she dreamed of making it out alive.

Her given name was Camren, but nobody called her that. She lived with her elderly grandmother, who called her by a shortened version of her middle name Leticia. Well-intentioned though she was, Grandmother Maria had no idea how to deal with a rambunctious, rebellious teenager. The total lack of parenting only added to Little Letty's moral decline and frequent troubles. She trusted no one and respected no one.

Except her big brother Jamie…Until he went and got himself killed, that is.

With no real guidance, Letty's sharp mind and bad attitude landed her in Juvenile Hall, many times. Just when she was about to fall through the cracks of the system, someone stepped in and gave her a way out…

* * *

"Camren Lafferty."

The girl in the holding cell didn't bother to look up. "I didn't ask to talk to a lawyer."

"It's a good thing I'm not a lawyer."

The man stopped just outside the bars opposite her. She glanced up just enough to get a glimpse of him, a man in an immaculately pressed suit. Everything about him was at right angles, the straight lines of his clothes, shoulders back, chin up, firm stance, elbows bent and hands behind his back…he reminded her of something. She didn't care enough to figure out what.

"What are you, a priest then?" she said with a dismissive smirk. "You're wasting your time. I'm not exactly a prime candidate for jailhouse conversion."

"I wouldn't think so," the man said with a hint of humour in his voice. "Scientists are generally sceptics. Not that you'd make much of a scientist, not if your last transcripts are any indication."

That got her attention, "How do you know about that?"

The Suit looked her over appraisingly. This girl was a walking contradiction. He knew her records, both legal and academic. She was intelligent and capable, yet still managed to make decisions that sabotaged her; she'd applied for several scholarships, and probably would have gotten them if not for her extensive juvie record. This kid had potential. She could go far if given the chance, if she actually put in the effort and did the work. She was smart, resourceful…and in desperate need of a wake-up call.

"I know a lot of things about you Camren. I know about your mother's addiction problems, that child services placed you with your grandmother. I know you somehow manage to be top of your class in school, even though you're regularly absent. And I know about your brother. James Lafferty. According to his service record, your brother was a hell of a soldier."

Letty stiffened at the mention of her brother. That's what the Suit reminded her of. His clothes, his posture, the way he walked, it was like Jamie when he'd come back from oversees, all stiff and straight-laced in his uniform. The army had been his escape, his way out. He said it was good for him. And then he shipped out again a few months later, leaving Letty on her own again.

"Yeah, my brother was the big hero. And he got blown up for it. No thanks."

The Suit didn't take the hint to go away.

"I get it. You're surrounded by degradation, so no matter how much you want to get out, you feel like you're a part of it," the man kept talking when all Letty wanted was for him to shut up and go away. "But you are something better Camren and you can't afford to throw your life down the drain. You owe that to yourself. And to James."

"What do you want from me?!" Letty snapped at him. There was a fierceness in her gaze that made a lot of people flinch. But at the same time, beneath that, the Suit could see that there was someone pleading for the lifeline he was about to throw her way.

"I want to give you the chance to not be just another typical hard luck story. I'll see you at your arraignment."

* * *

Standing before the Judge, Letty could tell from the look on his face that he thought she was nothing special, just another troubled teen from the hood. He watched as this latest rebellious young woman stood in front of him, surveying her surroundings in cocky arrogance. It was easy to tell that she thought these proceedings were a waste of her time and she wanted everyone around her to know that. She split her attention between the clock on the wall and the hole in her jeans jacket. She impatiently ran her fingers through her long, curly dark hair and sighed loudly.

For Judge Woodward it was not difficult to see why Camren Lafferty had been in trouble with the law several times. He looked over her lengthy juvenile record, then sat back to study the young woman in front of him. Judge Woodward was a hard-nosed man with little tolerance for disrespectful, out of control teenagers. However, there was apparently someone who thought that Camren Lafferty was in need of something different, something that could change this delinquent's troubled life. Checking her birthdate, Woodward confirmed she was indeed almost an adult - Almost.

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady?"

"In regards to..?" Letty responded in a bored drawl.

"Why don't you start with the stolen car," the judge prompted.

"I needed a ride," she said with a shrug.

"Twice?"

"I got where I was going, then I had to find a way back."

"And the assault?"

"The second guy wouldn't give me his car. I wanted, I needed…I took it."

"Why?"

"I told you, I needed a ride."

The Judge sat quietly studying her as she ran her fingers again through her unmanageable hair. Letty appeared no different from the thousands of other young offenders that were marched before him. But someone thought that she was. Judge Woodward glanced at the man standing at the back of the room. Years later, he would look back at this moment, trying to figure out what made him do what he did, and wondering what became of this girl.

Seeing the judge looking at something behind her, Letty turned and saw the Suit that came to see her in the cell standing at the back of the room. He nodded, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the judge. Letty wondered what exactly was going on here.

"You are no longer a juvenile, young lady," said Woodward, drawing her attention back to him. "It is time you started to take some responsibility for yourself as an adult. Two counts of grand theft auto, one count aggravated assault, and that's only your most recent transgression…" The judge flipped through some papers on his desk. "You have two options: two years in an adult woman's Correctional Facility-"

Shocked at the judge's proposal, Letty's public defender spoke up, "Your Honour, with all due respect, sending her to an adult facility is-"

"Is well within my power, and believe me, I can and will do so," the judge steamrolled over the lawyer. "She's old enough to do the crime, so she's old enough to do the time." He leaned over his desk and stared straight into Letty's eyes. "It is time for her to make a choice about where her life is going."

Letty's steady gaze never faltered. "What's my other option?"

"Four years serving Uncle Sam in the United States Army."

Letty stood impassively, though her hand clenched into a fist at her side – the Suit was behind this, she knew it – as her court appointed lawyer pleaded with the judge. "Your Honour, this is highly irregular. You can't force her-"

"No one is forcing anyone to do anything. I am simply giving her options. She is old enough to understand the law, and the consequences of breaking it. I am offering her a choice. Turn her life around, or continue on the road she is currently on." Judge Woodward leveled his gaze on Letty. "And if you're thinking of going AWOL once you are in training, the two years in prison will be on the table until you have server your entire obligation to the military."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Letty raised one eyebrow, "A few years playing soldier, not a problem. Where do I sign?"

Forty-eight hours later, Camren Leticia Lafferty stepped off a bus at a military training base and into the care of the Suit who'd pulled the strings to get her out of prison and into the army, Sergeant Fuller.

* * *

 **That's how it all began. I was a troubled kid who'd been dealt a bad hand and did nothing to make life better for myself until the judge gave me a choice: prison or the army. Guess which one I chose. I took the option that kept me out of a cell, and might give me the chance to blow shit up. Seemed like a good idea at the time.**

 **I found out later that Sargent Fuller served with my brother before he died. That's why he pulled me out of the ghetto and into the army – his way of looking out for me and honouring an old friend. I'll need to kick his ass for that one day.**

 **I thrived in the military. It taught me discipline and responsibility – two things that my life had been seriously lacking – and gave me the chance to make something of myself. I did well academically, and excelled in all physical training. Soon everyone could see the direction my military career was heading. I served the four years that I was obligated to serve in lieu of prison. And then I signed up for more.**

 **That's where Muirfield came in…**

 **XXXXX**


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